The subject matter disclosed herein generally relates to ballistic rings in gas turbine engines and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for installing ballistic rings in gas turbine engines.
Gas turbine engines may generally include a fan section coupled to a core assembly. The core assembly may include a compressor section having one or more compressors, a combustion section, and a turbine section having one or more turbines. Each compressor includes multiple compressor blades while each turbine section includes multiple turbine blades. The compressor and turbine blades are disposed within a core case and are rotated rapidly during operation.
It is possible, although unlikely, for a compressor or turbine blade, or a fragment thereof, to separate during operation and strike the core case. Accordingly, core cases are often designed to contain blades and blade fragments, thereby to prevent any liberated material from radially exiting the engine. The demands of blade containment, however, are balanced by the demands for low weight, high strength, and manufacturability. Adequate containment is often obtained by increasing the thickness of the core case sufficiently to resistant penetration by a blade or blade fragment. A thicker core case, however, is difficult to assemble as the thicker core must be bent in a complex and difficult manor to form to the adjacent engine surface, thereby decreasing manufacturability.